Do You Travel With A Stuffed Toy? You're Not Alone.

You know you're in love when home is a person rather than a place. In some cases, home is found in a cute stuffed toy that probably smells like you (and your drool).

People are nice to travel with and all, but a fluffy companion could be the best co-pilot for your adventures - no matter your destination, surprise or not, a stuffed toy will not have a relationship-ending panic attack or hissy fit.

Source: Giphy

We spoke to our travellers whose stuffed toys went in tow with them on their Anywhr trips. We dug down and worked our investigative journalism skills to bring you the reasons why they take their fluffy friends along. And hey, some of these reasons might have you grabbing yours too! (Hint: It's not all just for bedtime cuddles.)

The Source of Creative Inspiration

Traveller: JasmineAge: 28Stuffed Toy: Bolu BoluAge: Undefined

Tell us about your travel adventures with Bolu Bolu!My Anywhr trip was my first solo vacation, so I brought it along to keep me company. It is also a great muse for photographs, as I don't want to be solely taking photos of myself in every shot. Taking endless landscape shots can get boring too, so bringing Bolu Bolu added some fun and colour to them. I even made new friends during my travels, and Bolu Bolu was featured in their travel video!

The Calling Card

Source: Nicole (Left)

Traveller: NicoleAge: 35Stuffed Toy: MuNoAge: Undefined

What is the story behind MuNo?A friend gave it to me, and he is a one-eyed cyclops from the show Yo Gabba Gabba. Since then, I've always had it with me wherever I go - like a comforting habit. I brought it along with me on my beach Getaway trip with Anywhr, and he was the star of all my photos, like a signature to say 'I was here'. He's even with me now! (Pulls MuNo out of backpack during our interview.)

The “Chou Chous”

What’s the story behind The Cat and Buckwheat?The Cat was Xinyee’s birthday present. Buckwheat on the other hand, was given to me by a friend as a souvenir from her trip to Korea and appears in the K-drama series “Goblin”. I don’t usually travel with a stuffed toy because I don’t like the idea of it getting dirty in a foreign country, but since Xinyee always does, I thought I’d accompany her. They’re sort of like “chou chous” that made us feel more settled when sleeping in a foreign place.

The Aspiring Instagram Influencer

What’s the story behind Mehmeh?I got Mehmeh through a (stuffed toy) trade with my best friend. When I was staying in my university’s hall, Mehmeh went everywhere with me, all my friends knew about Mehmeh like it's a part of our group of friends. It’s also my companion when it’s time to sleep. I began bringing Mehmeh along with me on my travels when I visited my friend in Hong Kong last year, and that’s when Mehmeh’s Instagram account @mehmehtravels was created, with every caption being a pun of its name.

If you thought travelling with a stuffed toy is a habit that’s isolated to female travellers, think again! In a study by British hotel chain Travelodge, it shows that 25% (1 in 4) of men travel with a stuffed companion. We know how unbelievable that sounds… maybe someone you’ve been travelling with for years has been stowing their little soft childhood companion, their warden while they slept, banisher of the bogeyman, pontianak or other ghouls that keep children up at night in their bag!

For the guys — before you decide to whip “Bambi” out from the deep dark recesses of your closet to bring it for a long overdue adventure, you should note that you still might get judged for it. When asked what she’d think of a guy that travels with a stuffed toy, one of our travellers said “It would be pretty weird”. But in any case, don’t let society, the opinion of the opposite sex or this article dictate your choice of travel companion.

We hope this article inspires you to take your stuffed toy out on new adventures, be it as a photo muse or something to squeeze in excitement when you discover your surprise travel destination only at the airport. If you know somebody who cannot board the plane without their fluffy companion next to them, share this post to tell them that they're not alone.

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